Top News

Google Working on Maps for iPhone and iPad — People pining for a Google Maps app on their Apple devices will get one eventually, but likely not for another couple months or so. — Google is developing a maps application for iPhone and iPad that it is seeking to finish by the end of the year …

Google Play hits 25 billion downloads — Whether you're looking for directions, checking email or sharing a picture with friends, apps are now an indispensable part of life. And if you're using Android, it all starts with Google Play, home to 675,000 apps and games. That's a lot of choice.

Barnes & Noble Takes Aim at Amazon With New HD Nooks — Yesterday, Barnes & Noble revealed its plans for a Nook-branded online video store. — Today, the company is showing off the products it hopes you'll be watching that video on: New Nook tablets, called the Nook HD and Nook HD+.

Cellphones Are Eating the Family Budget — Heidi Steffen and her husband used to treat themselves most weeks to steak at Sodak Shores, a restaurant overlooking a lake near their hometown of Milbank, S.D. Then they each got an iPhone, and the rib-eyes started making fewer appearances.

Murdoch's Times unblocks search engines to seek new subscribers — In May 2010, News Corp.'s The Times newspaper said it would block search engines from indexing its stories, believing it must remove all possibility of free access as it introduced digital payments. — Two years later, that philosophy is being up-ended.

Twitter CEO Costolo Talks Ads, Facebook, and IPO — Twitter is at a turning point, trying to roll out advertising while also maintaining the user experience. I sat down with Twitter CEO Dick Costolo at the company's new San Francisco headquarters to talk about his plans to grow the social media giant.

Silicon Valley Exec Shelby Bonnie Joins Allen & Co. — Longtime Silicon Valley executive Shelby Bonnie started off his career as a financial analyst. He may wind up finishing it that way, too. According to his LinkedIn profile, Bonnie has just joined Allen & Co. as a managing director in the investment firm's San Francisco office.

Netflix CEO Keeps Focus on Expansion, Price — Netflix Inc. Chief Executive Reed Hastings is trying to prove that his streaming-video company isn't in a state of arrested development. — Last year, Netflix lost subscribers and investor confidence with a debacle over a sharp subscription …

Cisco CEO Names Potential Successors in Retirement Plan — Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) Chief Executive Officer John Chambers identified some of the senior leaders at the company that he and the board are considering to succeed him when he retires, which may be within two to four years.